Shopping with Conscience

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Socially conscious shopping, or the practice of trying to only buy items from companies that stick to a certain standard in their practices, is becoming a movement among American consumers. For a while, unless you spent hours doing research, it was almost impossible to keep track of which brands are organic, ethical and cruelty-free. But thanks to some new apps it’s easier than ever.

The first app is GoodGuide. GoodGuide was founded in 2007 as a resource for finding green and socially responsible products, and now all that research has been made available in the form of an app. The company teamed up with scientific and technology experts after noticing that most people don’t know how products are being made and whether they’re produced in a sweatshop or are GMOs.

Better World Shopper conducts similar research, but the app uses that information to assign a letter grade to thousands of companies. Every company is rated on a scale from A to F, based on factors like human rights, environmental impact and community involvement. You can also search by product to find which company making that item has the best grade, so you can see whether your candy bar scores an A or a D.

With Buycott, information about your purchase is just one scan away. Instead of looking up if a company is for or against the causes you support, just scan the barcode of the item. If the app finds a conflict, it alerts you so you can find another company that produces something similar but still falls in line with your values. The app’s database is constantly growing since you can add in information about a product that isn’t already stored in the app.

What do you think? Will you be trying out socially responsible apps? Vote and let us know what you think in the comments!

I really don’t see the use. “Oh, I really want that Nutella but the manufactorers don’t help the kittens in the shelters…” (I do like cats!) If you want it, buy it! And if you want to know what’s in it, just check the label on the back. They tell you everything–if they don’t, it’s considered false advertizing. Now, about that Nutella….